The Many Problems of Luka Erebi | Sapphic Romance | Chapter 12
Luka can’t help herself
When Wren said the stalker might be coming through Luka’s balcony, a sense of stupidity stabbed at her brain. It was so obvious, yet she hadn’t thought of that before.
The gap between balconies was small with no grips on the wall, but it was climbable if you were crazy enough. Whether Luka’s stalker was scaling from balcony to balcony, or they climbed onto her balcony through the drain pipe… she wasn’t sure.
What was important was the fact that her apartment had been compromised. Did this mean she had to move? What would her father say? Would he even let her?
No, it was trivial to ask these questions. Luka already knew the answer from both her father and her mom. Them being in the dark about her issue wasn’t an oversight.
Another week, another day for Luka to daze off in her psychology class. Hyper-aware of being watched, Luka rubbed her eyes and looked at Professor Tera. She swore she just made eye contact with her. Those blueish green eyes were hard to miss, especially when they were directed at you. Professor Tera never really looked toward the back seats, so why now?
Luka turned to Ari on her left, seeing her head resting on the desk with her arms forming a barrier.
Oh. Maybe she was looking at Ari.
She yawned, and tried her best to stay awake. Paying attention, however, was another matter.
Luka stared at Professor Tera, admiring her by-the-book attire. She wore a dark pencil skirt with a cool blue dress shirt tucked inside and the sleeves folded back. Below her skirt was black stockings and black heels. She had her dark hair in a bun, gold-rim glasses resting on the bridge of her small nose. Her phoenix eyes—slightly upturned at the corners—and red lips gave off a rather serious air, but whenever Luka spoke with her, she found she was actually quite easy to talk to.
Professor Tera was one of the youngest professors in the Academy. That along with her natural beauty made her popular among with Luka’s male classmates. Apparently, some people took her course just so they could talk to her. It made sense why Professor Tera had a lot of students around her whenever class ended.
To think she’s from the House of Tera this entire time. And she’s just here teaching students introduction to psychology.
“Mmm!” Ari stretched after her apparent hour nap.
Luka was starting to wonder why Ari took this class in the first place. Though Ari didn’t give her enough time to ponder about this. The time from Ari stretching to her turning sideways on her seat to face Luka was a few seconds at best.
“I don’t know what you did, Luka, but I thought Bellamy would be mad at me for another week. I was ready to play the long game too.”
Luka blinked, processing what Ari had just said. Did that mean Ari had no intention of apologizing to Bellamy?
“I-I heard you got into a fight with Wren.”
Her hand on her chest, Ari feigned being offended. “I didn’t get into a fight with Wren. I just happened to know someone who holds a grudge towards the Vespulas and I wanted to get her favor. It was nothing personal. A Citizen like you wouldn’t understand.”
“W-what do you mean by that?”
Ari’s finger curled around her hair, which was braided into twin tails. In her silence, Luka could only assume she was contemplating whether she should say it or not. Luka wished Ari would be straightforward for once.
So there was a fight… just between someone who Ari brought in and Wren.
Since Ari wasn’t responding, Luka said, “P-please don’t give Wren a hard time.”
“Oh?” Ari raised a smirk. “You said something about knowing her when you were young. What’s your relationship with her now?”
Luka touched her right arm, her eyes downcast. She hadn’t had a moment to think about their relationship, if any. But if there was one, fragile was probably the word.
“Um… we used to be friends, and now we’re… something.”
She looked at Ari, who raised a brow. Whenever Ari just stared at her like this, Luka wished she could read her thoughts.
“And this was ten years ago, correct?” Ari asked. “Then she moved to Pachi City.”
“Yeah.” Where is Ari going with this?
“I grew up in Pachi City, so the noise around the illegitimate heir to the Vespulas returning was all I heard about back then.”
“Illegitimate?”
Ari rubbed a finger on her skin, guiding Luka’s eyes. “Unless you’re color blind, you must’ve realized that Vespula girl isn’t exactly white-passing. Hell, I could slap on yellow contacts, a blonde wig, and look more like a Vespula than her.”
Well, Luka knew that. She just never thought that was a problem. So Wren was an heir? Like the Vespulas were some sort of royalty. Luka vocalized this thought.
“They were just like any regular Invader family, until Lantana Vespula made her move. I still don’t know how she did it, but she stole the wealth of the House of Mantina and muddled the bloodline of the House of Apis.” Ari chuckled, though Luka could hear a bitterness behind it. “Lantana Vespula is one-of-a-kind, too bad her daughter and granddaughter can’t compare.”
Uneasiness lurked in Luka’s stomach. She appreciated the information, but why was Ari telling her about this? Would Ari tell her the truth if she asked? Luka wasn’t sure if what Ari just said was fact or not. Not until she searched it for herself.
Then there was that pang in her chest when Ari called Wren not one-of-a-kind. Though when she let it sit a bit more, she figured it might’ve been better that Wren wasn’t like her grandmother… if the information was true.
“Ahem.”
Deja vu.
All the students were gone, leaving only Luka, Ari, and Professor Tera in the classroom. This time, however, Professor Tera had made her way up to their desk.
“Luka. Ari. I’d prefer it if you keep this kind of discussion outside of my classroom.”
Ari, undeterred, turned to Professor Tera and asked, “Say, what is the House of Tera’s take on the Vespulas? Or is that a non-concern since they aren’t targeting you yet?”
“What did I just say?” Professor Tera sighed. “You need to spend less time gossiping and get ready for your finals. You, especially, Luka. Those bags under your eyes are getting worse. Have you not been sleeping well?”
Luka’s shoulders hunched and tightened, her lips locked. Her professor was watching her during class.
“I remember you asking me a couple weeks ago about your mental stress.”
I did ask her that… but I didn’t expect her to follow up with me on that!
“Um. I’m still working on it, b-but you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be good to go for finals.”
“I’m not worried about you and finals,” Professor Tera said. “That worry belongs to Ari.”
Ari shrugged, her expression uncaring. “You’re wasting it on me. Despite my upbringing, I’ve never actually failed any classes.”
Another sigh escaped Professor Tera. “Please send me an email if you need the class notes, Luka.”
“O-okay. Thank you.”
With that, Luka began packing up while Ari—who hadn’t taken anything out of her bag this whole time—tried to converse with Professor Tera about the “gossips.”
“How about I ask for the opinion of Anis Tera? What does Anis think of the rise of the Vespulas?”
Professor Tera was already walking down the steps, not looking back. “I think you shouldn’t address me by my first name when we’re in the Academy. This isn’t the Assembly.”
“Boo.” Ari puckered her lips in mock annoyance.
Once Luka finished stuffing everything into her bag, Ari stood up and they both of them walked out of class. They made their way to the cafeteria for lunch. A routine.
Surprisingly, Ari was quiet while they both ate their respective lunch. It gave Luka a moment to ponder.
What is with Ari’s obsession with the Vespulas? Is it because she’s a half-Invader? She hasn’t even asked me about my issue.
Almost like Ari read her mind, she set her empty lunch tray aside and asked, “So, any updates on your stalker?”
Luka struggled to swallow a big portion of her sandwich, apparently having not learned to not take a big bite with Ari around. When she managed to get it all down, she told Ari about the lunch box in her fridge.
“Ugh. I was hoping they haven’t gotten to this phase yet,” Ari groaned. “And if you didn’t see them on your cam then they’re coming in through your balcony.”
Luka nodded. This all coincided with what Wren said. “D-do you think I should leave?”
“What do you mean you should? You’re definitely leaving. You can crash at my place until this all settles down.”
Ari said it like there wasn’t any other choice for Luka, which was true. Luka couldn’t afford to stay in a hotel or a motel for more than a week. She didn’t want to bother Bellamy or Wren, and she would still be in the same area. Asking her parents were out of the question because her mom would beg her to return home.
“Are you sure?” Luka asked.
“What part of ‘you can crash at my place’ and ‘until this all settles down’ did you get confused on? I’ll send you my address, so come by when you’re done with class.”
“T-thank you, Ari. I have work after, so I’ll come by at night.”
“Sure, I’ll be there. Just send me a message.”
———
“…Really?” Luka asked, feeling like she needed to hear what Wren had just said again.
Wren only clicked her tongue, and frowned. She had just offered to drive Luka home. It was a logical decision, since they were both heading to the same place. Luka even had her wind-resistant jacket today. And if she was going to stay at Ari’s place, this might be the last time she could do this with Wren.
Wren’s hand, holding the extra helmet, stretched toward her.
“T-thank you.”
After Luka took it, she sat behind Wren. The second time wasn’t as surprising, but Luka’s breath hitched when Wren scooted and pressed her back against Luka’s stomach. She’d never been on a motorcycle until Wren, and she didn’t want to grab onto Wren... so weirdly enough, she felt more secure pressed against Wren.
The cold air grazed Luka’s exposed skin. She watched the lights pass her by. Her hands propped against her legs kept Luka steady as Wren sped up after she left the Cusps District. From here, it would take them about twenty-five minutes to reach the apartments.
“Hey, Wren?”
Wren didn’t answer, though Luka sensed she was listening.
“Um. I’m gonna stay at a friend’s place tonight.”
“Okay?”
“S-so I’m just coming back to grab some essentials, then I’ll be off. J-just wanted to let you know.”
“Hm.”
Luka thought about when she arrived at The Cusp for work today, she took a peek into the kitchen window and saw Wren washing the dishes. It was the first thing she did, even before looking at the schedule to see who was working.
Wren looked really good with her hair up. The fade cut fit her. Under the bright kitchen light, Luka noticed a small cut between her nose bridge and left eye. It was dry, so it must’ve happened a few days ago. She couldn’t help but think it might’ve been Ari.
“And um… sorry about Ari.”
Wren scoffed. “That woman gets to do whatever she wants and she has you and Bellamy to apologize for her. How fitting of someone from the Aranae family.”
“I thought she’s a Weaver,” Luka said. She hadn’t heard about the Aranae family before.
“Heh. She can say that all she wants, but those eyes of hers tells me everything I need to know.”
Ari did have a distinct color that seemed to follow beyond her eyes. On sunny days, you could even catch a crimson shade on Ari’s brunette head. She had a dangerous allure to her.
But the same could be said about Wren… now that Luka knew a bit more about the Vespulas.
“D-do people say the same thing about you?” Luka asked.
No response, though Luka noticed the throttle give a little. Feeling awkward, Luka stayed quiet for the rest of the ride.
The apartment building felt a lot eerier than before with only the night lights shining against it. Luka was halfway on the stairs when she noticed Wren was still on her bike. Was she waiting for something? Whatever it was, Luka would probably find out after she grabbed her necessities.
“I thought I told you to—”
It was the same voice, though less muffled by the typhoon. Mosca’s husband was shouting again.
“All these years—and you still haven’t even—”
Luka could hear her father in the back of her mind telling her not to get involved. This was a family matter, one that she wasn’t a part of. A private problem that should stay behind closed doors.
She should just walk into her apartment and continue with her current objective… getting the hell out of here.
Crash!
“Aah!”
Mosca’s yelp. Something fragile breaking. Luka froze, her hand hovering over her doorknob. Her heart spiked, ready to leap out of her throat. She glanced over 205, seeing no lights underneath the door. Bellamy wasn’t here. Wren was downstairs.
She should’ve shouted for Wren, but her body was already moving before her mind could process a plan.
It was just like that time at the bridge, and the time on Christmas Eve, and two summers before that… she couldn’t leave someone alone when she knew they were in danger.
She balled her shaky hand, and banged on the door to 206. Then she took a step back, trying to keep her breathing steady—a hard feat since it was keen on following the rhythm of her fast-beating heart. Her legs trembled, forcing her to shift between her left and right foot.
What was Luka going to do anyway? Tell a man that he shouldn’t hurt his wife? Then what?
Creeak…
This man couldn’t have opened the door any more creepily. Luka gulped, her head adjusting just to stare him in the eyes. His face contorted the moment he saw her.
“Oh. I see how it is. You’re here to ‘rescue’ her again, aren’t you?”
Luka, although blank in thoughts, opened her mouth to say something. Until the man grabbed her neck and pushed her against the railings. She wanted to bellow from the pain pulsing through her back.
She couldn’t.
The man’s large hand had an easy grip around her neck, and he squeezed so tight that she could barely eke out a word. Luka clawed at his hand, but she couldn’t make any progress on escaping. She couldn’t even reach for his face. That was just the difference in their height.
He was shouting at her. What, she couldn’t hear. She swore she could see Mosca coming out and grabbing onto her husband, but even she couldn’t stop him.
The world around was starting to distort; her vision blurring. Her limbs were losing strength.
Bang!
A blur of something hard hit the man’s head. He released Luka, who dropped to the floor coughing and wheezing. Luka could see a figure rushing past her, lunging at the man.
It was Wren, whose bloodthirsty eyes locked on the man. She pinned him against the ground, her fists landing against his face.
“Stop it! Please!” Mosca, crumpled by her door, cried out.
Luka took in a deep breath, and held it in as she stood up. She walked to Wren, and grabbed at her wrist before she could deal any more damage. Wren looked back at her, her glare making Luka want to dash like she would near a wasp. Luckily, Wren softened once she realized it was Luka.
Wren’s fists were bloodied. The man’s face was a pool of blood. His nose, the obvious target, was most likely broken.
Luka pulled Wren up and away from the man. She noticed the helmet from across the hallway. “S-sorry you have to get involved, Wren.”
“Tch. What the fuck were you doing?”
The man raised his head, his glare still directed at Luka. “You… you really think you can get away with this?”
Wren rolled her eyes, and pulled out her phone. It didn’t take long for the police to arrive, though it took even less for her neighbor and landlord. They’d all heard the fight, the screams.
Luka had hoped she could get a good night’s rest today…